Operations and services of Air India have been under scrutiny since the deadly crash of its Dreamliner in June. The world’s deadliest air crash in over a decade killed over 270 people. Now, news agency Reuters has reported that Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reprimanded Air India Express in March for not undertaking the engine maintenance of an Airbus A320 within a mandatory timeframe set by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The report based on a government memo further showed that the aviation watchdog also slammed the budget-carrier of the Tata-owned airline for falsifying the compliance records.
The March DGCA memo revealed that an engine on the VT-ATD aircraft operated by Air India Express had not undergone the required modifications within the specified deadline. EASA had earlier issued a directive in 2023 warning that components of CFM International’s LEAP-1A engines, like seals and rotating parts, could pose safety risks due to potential manufacturing deficiencies.
The directive stated that failure to replace the affected components could result in “high energy debris release”, causing damage to the aircraft and potential loss of control, the Reuters report further stated.
The DGCA memo further alleged that the airline had altered entries in Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Operating System to falsely show that the modifications had been completed in time. This is considered a serious breach of air safety regulations. “This indicates that the accountable manager has failed to ensure quality control,” Reuters report quoted the memo.
What did Air India Express say about the oversight?
Air India Express acknowledged the oversight to the DGCA and told Reuters that its technical team missed the scheduled replacement due to migration issues in the maintenance records software. The airline said corrective actions had been taken, including the suspension of its deputy airworthiness manager and the removal of its quality manager.
The airline did not directly respond to the allegation of forged records. EASA said it would conduct a formal investigation into the matter in collaboration with CFM International and the DGCA.
The issue was initially flagged during a DGCA audit in October 2024. “This is a grave lapse,” Vibhuti Singh, a former legal expert at Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. “Any delay in addressing known technical faults, especially on planes flying over international waters or near sensitive airspace, can have severe consequences.”
Rising safety concerns flagged by DGCA
This latest episode comes amid a rising number of safety warnings issued by the DGCA. In 2023 alone, authorities flagged or fined airlines in at least 23 separate safety-related incidents, with Air India and Air India Express accounting for 11 of those.
Earlier this year, Air India was also warned for operating three Airbus aircraft with overdue checks on emergency escape slides. In June, it received another notice for “serious violations” of pilot duty hours.
(With inputs from Reuters)